Mechanism for locking levers.



G. C, JENSEN.

Mmmmsm FUR LocxiNG LavERs.-

APPLICATDN FILED NGV 2B 1916.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Wr/vasi E. We#

UNITED STATES inscrinvrv OFFICE. 'l

GEORGE e. JENSEN, or ouinnm, oanrronma.

MECHANISM Eon LOCKING Lnvnns.

Bpcoication of Letters Patent.

Patented Ju1y'31, 1917.

Application inea November as, 191e. serial no. um,

To all whom it may concern.' y,

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. JENSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and 5 'State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mecli a nism for Tioclrin Levers, of which the fol lowing is a speci cation.`

The present invention relates to a locking mechanism for movable levers and is particularly 4adapted for application to control i-z :i liiiiidlo, not shown iii lliidrawings. "i5 Huid li'vir l is arranged for swinging more# levers cfa motor vehicle.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a device which ma be easily installed'in connection with .evers used extensivel for shifting v the variable speed gears o motor vehicles, and the general advantage to be gained bv the use of the pres ent invention is the locking of the gear shift lever of a motor vehicle in its neutral position to prevent the movement of the vehicle under its own, power without interfering with the movement thereof by hand, as, for example, when it is desired to move the ve hicle from place toplace in a garage.

The invention consists broadly in a means 'for engaging the shifting lever when the same is in its neutral position, to lock the lever from lateral movement wil-hin its transverse shifting slot, the lever locking means having mechanism associated tllferewith-.Which automatically engages the same to prevent -it from being released from op;m

if i

erati ve movement.

To more fully 'comprehend the invention, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings, wherein,u

Fignrel is a central longitudinal section al view of the preferred embodiment of my lock, as applied `to a'well known type of motor vehicle gear shift lever;

Fig. 2 is a Sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Fig'. l, and viewed inthe direction of the arrows.

Fig. is a sectional view taken on line El 9. of Fig. l, and viewed in the direction ol' the arrows.

Fig. lfl 'is' a sectional -view taken on the lino Il -4 of Fig. l, viewed in the. direction of the arrows.` l

l'ri llie'drawings, the: rolci-iriee iiuiiieriil l drsigiiatcsn lever of atypv ifiiiiiirioiily iir-:od

on motor ri-lindos. :it (he upper-vnd ol' u'liirrli iiieiit in two parallel planes and for this purpose is freely fulcrumed upon a horizontal shaft 3, the latter being fixed in the iixed arms or brackets 5 extending upwardly'from a tubular housing or member 2 supported in any suitable manner. f

he lower end 6 of the "lever 1 is shown in Fig. 1 of. the drawirgs as adapted for engagement with the shiter rods of a sliding gear mechanism, said shifter rod an mechanism being well known in the art, andV are therefore not illustrated in the drawings. The usual spring for holding the Vlever 1 1n its vertical position laterally, is shown at 7,- to normally maintain the Ilower end of the lever, when in neutral position, in the'opening 8 between the meeting ends of arms 8',

the opening 8 being so disposed as to necessitate a transverse moving of' the lever to neutral position before the same can moved laterally for operation in different parallel planes one at either side of the arms 8' as in Fig. 4; of the drawings.

bevi

Fixed at one end-gto rotate with the longif tudinal shaft 9, which is rotatably mounted Vat its ends in the `member 2 at one side of' the tubular portion. thereof, is a locking arin 10, provided at its free outer end with theV o\itwar lly-""proiecting spaced retaining lingers 11, one of which is adapted when the arm is -in locking position, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, for projectingA bevond thc opposite sides of the flattened liportion l2 on the lever 1 belowthe fulcrumed "`-,point thm-cof, and lock or retain the lever "in Mitral position wtlun ,said opening 8.

'The ends of the arms 8 prevent the moving of the lover l forwardly or rearwardly and the fingers ll previ-ut lateral movement thereof when the looking arm is'inpperative position. A horixontal reciprocatingplungerl, mounted iii :i bore in. the mem ien? beneath the sha ft i) has engagement at its outer end with` the Vhub 14 oi the locking v arm l0, through (he :iiiiiperating .teeth 14 and 112 formed inspcetivclyoii the hub and plunger. 'Vlmpliuigvr lfiis normally yforced outwardly liv a coiled spring` l5 receivable iii ii roi-ess 'lil iii 'Ilie reniof theiplunger and.l

aluitliiig against the roar' Wall of the bore witliiii which tlii-. pliiugi.r is mountedl to musi. the. looking :ii-in lli to assumo thel 'posiiiou in dotted liiii-s Fig. l, which periiiils :i free iiiovciuviil: of thi` lever l.

'llulo liiiig iirui l() is thi-own downwardly [o locked position. :is iii full lines in l'ifigs. l,

2 :ind 3 o the drawings Iiir the operation of in a guide 19 a foot controlled lever or pedal 16 positioned exteriorly of the member 2 and fixed to the projecting end 1,7 of the shaft 9. The lever or pedal 16 lies parallel with the looking arm 10. and a slight downward pressure on the pedal or lever 16 rotates the shaft against the aetion of the spring pressed plunger 13 and moves tbe lookin arm from dotted to` full line position as in ig. 1.

The arm 10 is looked in its lowered posi- 'tion by a latch member 18 slidably mounted above the plunger 13 and normally forced outwardly into frietional contact with the hub 14 of the arm '10 by a spring 20. The hub 14 and shaft 9 are provided with alined openings Q1 for receiving the outer end of the, lockingl bolt 18 when the lever is in its depressed or lowered position, as lin Figs. 1, 2 and 3, said lateh preventing the raising of the arm io release the lever 1, except in a hereinafter desrribed manner.

The member 2 is provided above the lateh 18 with an opening Q2 adapted to rotatably mount. a lock barrel Q2', earrying on its base a lug 222, and said opening 22 is provided in i. its base with a slot 93 communica-ting with the guide 19 and outwardly through which projects a tongue or lug 24 for. eoperatioh with the lug 292 and said lug 24 is adapted to be operated by therotation of the leek barrel and reeiproeated rearwardly when it is desired to remove theforwar'd end el the latch `1B from the opening 21.

It is apparent when-it is desired to lock the lever 1, when the vehicle driving gears are in disengaged relation and the lever is in neutral position, it is only required that the operator depress the edal 16 which Causes the arm 10 to swing ownwardly with one of the. fingers 11 on either side of the lower portion of the lever, as in Fig. 1 oF the drawings, at which time the latch 18 forced outwardly by the spring 20 slips into the opening 21 in the hub of the arm 10 looking the arm in its' lowered position. When 'it is desired to release the lever, the operator, by a suitable key or other means not shown, operates the loek barrel within the opening 22 which withdraws the bolt 18 from ther opening 21,-pe.rmittinr the vplunger 18 to Arlisengage-the arm 10 rom the lever and to restore thesame to the dotted4 line position Fig. 1, where it is held by the tension of the4 spring 20 until such time as it is again normally depressed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patentis:.-

n 1f In 'combination with a support, a lever mounted therein and fulerumed for movement/relatively thereto, a pivotally mounted lookin meansv carried by the support and norma ly without the path of movement thereof and capable of pivotal movement to a point within the path of movement of said lever to lock the lever from `movement relative to its stationary support, mechanism carried by said support for automatically engaging and for locking said lever locking means when moved to lockedposition, and look controlled means for releasing said lever locking mechanism.

2. In eombination with a support, a lever mounted therein and fulerumed for movement relatively thereto, a rotatably mounted lookin arm, carried by the support and norm: ily without the path ofl movement thereof and capable of rotatable movement to a position within the path of movement of said lever to lock the lever from movement,

a latch for engaging said lever locking arm t normally retaining said lever loekingmeans without the path of movement of the lever, manually operated-means for-rotating said means to throw thesame within the path of movement of the lever to loci( the same from. movement, a latch member for automatically engaging and locking said lever locking means in its operative position. and loclceontrolled means for releasing said latch mem` ber.

4. In eombination with a lever ulcrumed. `for movement` in two parallel planes, a lever looking means normally lying without tho path ot' movement of said lever and capable of pivotal movement to a. position 'within the path of movement thereof to leek the same from movement, a latch member for automatieally engaging the lever locking member to retain the same in its locked 'posim tion, lock controlled means for releasing said latch member, and means co erating'with and adapted for automa-tica ly throwin said lever locking means to its normal osition without the path of movement o the lever on the release of said latch.

5. In combina-tion with e support, a lever mounted thereon and fulerumedv for' movenient in. two parallel planes, a lever locking means pvotally carried by said support and normally lying without the path 0f movement of said lever and capable of mam ual operation for movement tov a position within the path of movement of said lever to lock the same'from movement, roeating spring pressed automatically en aging;4 the lever locking means to retain t e same in its locked position, leuk controlled mea-ns for releasing n reeiplatch member forsaid latch member, und spring pressed rename to this specification in the presence of elproeatlng means for automatlcally throwtwo subserlblng wltnesses.

ing said lever looking means to lts normal position Without the path, of movement of f GEQRGE C 'JENSEN' 5 the lever on the release of seid latch mem Witnesses:

ber. HAmxY A. ToTrEN, Tn testimony whereof I have signed my D. B, RICHARDS. 

